Lehigh President Alice Gast announced that she will be stepping down from her post this coming summer in an email to the Lehigh community early this morning. Gast will be heading across the Atlantic, where she will take up the post of president at Imperial College London.

“The collective energy each move-in day and commencement day bracket the joys each year in this great educational institution,” Gast said in her email.

Since coming to Lehigh in 2006, Gast has overseen a transformation of the university. The physical changes have spread to all three campuses. The Asa Packer Campus saw the addition of the STEPS building and the Caruso wrestling complex, along with the repurposing of Williams Hall and parts of the University Center. A plan is in motion to transform Mountaintop Campus by renovation of the former Bethlehem Steel research facilities that sit on its grounds, to make them usable for research. The Goodman Campus saw the addition of Mulvihill Golf Learning Center, and plans have been finalized to renovate the baseball and softball fields for the 2015 season.

Gast’s influence has extended beyond changes to facilities. Perhaps the most notable changes include doubling the money fundraised for the university, including a 50 percent increase in Asa Packer Society-level donors. The presence of international students on campus has also doubled, and Gast has made true on her commitment to international education: over one-third of Lehigh students have experienced the opportunity to study or work abroad.

The establishment of the Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation and the Iacocca International Internships for Global Leaders program also took place under Gast’s direction. She also oversaw the formation of an endowed scholarship program for women studying in the STEM fields, along with the Smith Funds for Research and Innovation in Science and Engineering.

During Gast’s tenure, athletic prominence and success became widespread. Along with several teams’ first Patriot League championships (men’s cross country, women’s golf), the men’s basketball team advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history, toppling Duke University’s team to do so. The wrestling and softball programs also continued to build on their tradition of excellence, gathering a multitude of titles.

Though many students and alumni have seen traditions put to rest in recent years, such as the bonfire during Lehigh-Lafayette week, they have also seen her take great strides forward. It was under Gast’s administration that the agreement to host the 150th Lehigh-Lafayette matchup at Yankee Stadium was made, and applications to the school for the class of 2017 reached record-breaking numbers.

During her time at Lehigh, six fraternities and a sorority were removed—several by their national chapters, the rest by the university itself. The fraternities include Delta Sigma Phi and Alpha Chi Rho in 2007; Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Alpha Mu in 2008; Delta Tau Delta in 2011; and Phi Gamma Delta in 2013. Delta Gamma was removed in 2013 as well.

Greek organizations added to campus under Gast’s watch outnumber those removed, and include five fraternities—Lambda Sigma Upsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha and Delta Chi in 2009; and Phi Delta Theta and Alpha Phi Alpha in 2013—and four sororities—Lambda Theta Alpha in 2008, Zeta Tau Alpha in 2011, Mu Sigma Upsilon in 2012, and Kappa Delta in 2013.

Perhaps the most recent incident that Gast’s administration has faced was the student-led, diversity-issue-based movement on campus. An effort that began in 2007, titled “The Movement,” sprang to life again in fall 2013 as a group of marginalized students on campus—“From Beneath the Rug” (FBR)—raised awareness about issues of discrimination on campus. Gast’s work to attempt to improve the community and make it a more inclusive environment has been noted and praised by many members of campus life.

“One of the things that drew me to South Mountain is Lehigh’s commitment to its students,” she added in her email. “Each year I am struck by the personal and intellectual growth of our students over the course of their years here. I feel a special pride in their accomplishments.”

She has reached out to students and attempted to make herself accessible, meeting with student groups on campus and even opening her home for a Halloween gathering in 2013, which more than 1,000 students attended. Gast also takes time out of her schedule to attend fundraiser events that draw many students from all over campus, such as the LU Dance Marathon last semester and the annual Spooktacular and Spring Fling events.

“I will remember [the students’] hugs and handshakes at commencement and our many conversations at lunches, dinners and around campus,” she said.

The Brown and White wishes President Gast the best of luck in her new role at Imperial College London.

Correction: In an earlier version of the story, the Greek organization Mu Sigma Upsilon was incorrectly referred to as a fraternity that has been established during Gast's tenure. Mu Sigma Upsilon is a sorority on Lehigh's campus.